With Morning Comes Goodbye
by J. C. Kerr
Summary: [Shoujoai, IrisTia] Iris tries to convince Tia that the girl's fate lies not in the arms of Maxim, but in her own.


Author's Note: this story is a tie-in to my novelisation of Lufia II, which builds upon the concepts presented in the video game, and as such this story will deviate partially from the game as taken for face value. Consider this a "deleted scene" for purposes of game continuity, falling right after the scene when Iris reveals the "destinies" of Guy and Selan. I've tried to flesh out the inside references as much as I could for the sake of those who haven't seen my notes and plans on the story, but if things still don't scan, feel free to tell me if and where something feels left out. Cheers!

_"Guy. Selan. The two of you are destined to travel with Maxim and fight." The prophetess looked the young girl in the eyes, a stern, hurt expression reading on both faces as clear as day while the other three went on completely ignorant. _No, _Iris told herself, _this girl will not fight. I can't let her. _Iris dropped her gaze from the girl's, letting her thoughts go unspoken._

--------------

Iris approached the bed in the near-pitch of night. The bed where that girl slept. That conniving, destructive, possessive girl. That selfish girl. That weak girl. That beautiful girl.

_Tia,_ she reminded herself, _her name's Tia_. She pulled back the covers on the bed to reveal a sleeping blue-haired beauty. Or rather, that's what was supposed to happen. The girl wasn't asleep; rather, she was huddled on her side, arms around her knees.

"You bitch," Tia whispered hoarsely, her moonlit gaze piercing the darkness. Noting the girl's bloodshot eyes, Iris could guess that Tia had spent the night crying.

"Excuse me?" Iris asked, surprised by the accusation. "I think that's just a _bit_ unprovoked..."

Tia growled. "You're stealing him from me! You're ruining my life!" Tia bit her lip, fighting back another rush of tears. "And now you've come to kill me, get me out of the picture. Haven't you?" The girl swung her legs out over the bed, bringing herself up to a sitting position.

Iris dropped her head contemptually. "No, Tia. Listen. I'm not stealing Maxim. No one is. He's _destined_ to fight. I'm not making him fight, I just opened his eyes to Fate."

_Damned,_ Tia thought begrudgingly, _if I let this bitch show me up._ She reached an arm out, and in a moment the whip that was resting on the girl's bedpost was in her hand and spidering out toward the unlit lamp on the bedside table, sending glass out in all directions. "I can fight!" Tia had tried to scream, but her throat, hoarse from hours of sobbing, found itself dealing in whispers. "I can fight."

Iris sighed. Would the girl ever get it? It hurt her to see Tia pained like this. Iris wished she could comfort the girl, stroke that gentle blue hair. Somehow take all Tia's pain away. "I know you can fight," she groaned. "But, you're different." _You don't know how different._ "Your power levels are as high as any human being can have. But Maxim, he's different." How could she lie like this? She knew she had stolen Tia's place in history, given it to someone who would probably die in an effort to do what she thought was right. And she found herself not regretting it. Was sacrificing a single life worth a life with Tia? It was a question Iris didn't have to ask herself twice. "Maxim's the only one with the power, along with Guy, and Selan--"

"--Selan," Tia spat. Iris' heart leapt at the vulgarity in Tia's voice when she mentioned Selan's name. As much as she didn't like doing it, Iris realized the only way to get near Tia would be to play off that hatred.

"Yes!" she shouted, "It's her fault. Selan's stealing Maxim! I only came tonight to tell you, warn you." Iris knew that she was altering fate as she spoke; but hadn't she already, earlier that day, by instilling that sense of duty in Selan, by cementing the false bond between her and the two men? Iris had already foreseen the woman's death, how it would give Maxim and his lover the resolve to face the Sinistrals. And now she was working to unbind the threads of Fate, weave a new pattern into the world.

"What do you know?" Tia asked quizzically, letting the whip fall from her hand and sitting on the bed. Iris let her eyes wander up and down Tia's body once. The girl had obviously not been expecting any sort of company that night, let alone a confrontation with the woman she had been telling herself to hate. Her bedclothes were wet from wiping her eyes, and Iris assumed she had been tearing at herself in frustration, the soft cloth gathered and wrinkled and specked with tiny holes.

Iris shook any lustful thoughts from her mind and concentrated. She let her thoughts transcend time-space, wandering the intricate webbing of the universe. She knew that just predicting the future could change it, but now she didn't care. She had already transcended her duties, transgressed against the Laws, sent a girl to her death at the Judgement for personal gain.

"She'll bear his child," Iris said finally, eliciting an emotional response from Tia. She watched as the blue-haired girl dropped her face in her hands. A small sob, and Iris flinched. "A boy. Jeros."

"Such a beatiful name," Tia sobbed, wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm sure he'll...be as...kind as Ma...Maxim..." Iris knelt down in front of Tia and brushed away a plastered-down lock of blue hair.

"Sshh, shh. You'll find someone for you. It's just a matter of time."

"No!" Tia whispered, suddenly conscious of the rest of the inn, and ultimately, Maxim. "_Maxim_ was the one for me. We were supposed to live together peacefully at home. Obviously, after this crazy business. I was supposed to have his child. I love him!" Iris wondered for a moment whether this girl bore the Gift, too, had the ability, even if she didn't realize it, to cross the Ether and read the future. She decided it was just romantic optimism.

"You can learn to love another," Iris said, almost suggestively. Tia cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" she asked. She was answered when Iris leaned forward, her green hair falling across her face, and pressed her lips to Tia's. Iris could feel the conflict in Tia's heart, how the girl was telling herself that this was wrong, that she should try to win Maxim back; but ultimately, the girl didn't have enough energy to fight, to will herself out of Iris' grasp. She leaned back onto the bed, and gave herself over to the woman's lust.

---

Opening her eyes, Iris yawned contentedly. She had just had one of the best nights of her life. _Of course, the morning might not go so great_, she thought, taking note of the piece of paper on the pillow where Tia should have been. Rubbing fatigue from her eyes, she sat up and looked at the piece of paper:

_Iris. I'm sorry. I was depressed last night, and let whatever happened...happen. Maxim is and will always be in my heart, and that is something I cannot change. I'm sorry that whatever you feel for me cannot ever come to fruition. Were I a different person, maybe I could indulge your...tastes...but I fear I cannot get around myself. I do love him, and I'm afraid that if I stay here, with you or with him, that I'll disrupt all that is meant to be. Thank you for opening my eyes to glimpse the future, even if it wasn't my own sight. I wish you well, and hope we can both find someone for ourselves._

A knock came at the door, followed by a handsome red-headed man. He stopped short when he saw a green-haired Iris sitting cross-legged on the bed, sobbing. _Gods dammit,_ she thought.

Maxim looked around, then stared a hole into Iris. "Where's Tia?" he asked, confused. Almost in response, the woman started to glow purple. "Iris? What are you doing here? Where's Tia?"

The prophetess looked up at Maxim, feeling tears stream down her cheeks and soak into her clothing as they fell from her jaw. She opened her mouth to speak, but uttered only a single word: "Warp."


End file.
